William Henry (Bill) CHAPMAN

William Henry (Bill) CHAPMAN Update Details

If you confirm that you want to proceed with the update, this record will be locked for editing by all other users until you have finished. You will have 7 days to complete your changes before they will be automatically submitted.

Do you want to proceed?

CHAPMAN, William Henry

Service Number:	W69690
Enlisted:	26 April 1942
Last Rank:	Private
Last Unit:	4th (WA) Battalion Volunteer Defence Corps (VDC)
Born:	Albany, Western Australia, 3 August 1907
Home Town:	Collie, Collie, Western Australia
Schooling:	Not yet discovered
Occupation:	Locomotive Fireman - WAGR
Died:	Busselton, Western Australia, 3 October 2001, aged 94 years, cause of death not yet discovered
Cemetery:	St. Mary's Anglican Church Cemetery, Busselton, Western Australia
Memorials:

World War 2 Service

26 Apr 1942:	Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, W69690
31 Jul 1944:	Discharged Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, W69690, 4th (WA) Battalion Volunteer Defence Corps (VDC)

Help us honour William Henry Chapman's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.

Biography contributed by Chris Buckley

Private William Henry Chapman (Service No:W69690) served in the ACMF with 4th Battalion (WA) VDC from 26 April 1942 to 31 July 1944 (Reserves List).

Bill was born in Albany, Western Australia in 1907, youngest of eleven children of Alfred James Chapman (b1863 in Suffolk, England) and his first wife Helena Manton (b1866 at Mt Barker, South Australia). Alfred served in the Royal Navy (Boy/Seaman; Service No112514) in 1880/1881, immigrating to Adelaide in 1882. He and Helena married in Adelaide in 1884, and moved to Western Australia in 1885, and Alfred initially was a Timber Worker. Alfred and Helena settled in Albany, and in 1889 Alfred started work with the WA Land Coy, constructing The Great Southern Railway between Beverley and Albany. When the Government Railways took over in 1896, he transferred to WAGR and worked as an Engine Driver until retirement. Alfred was a member of the Independent Order of Oddfellows, and established an orchard in Millbrook via Albany. Following Helena's death in 1911, Alfred remarried in 1914 to Elizabeth Ann Hall (nee Oates; b1865 in Clunes, Victoria) - Elizabeth was a Widow living in Perth and working as a Dressmaker. Alfred and Elizabeth settled in Albany.

Bill started work in Albany with the WAGR, and in 1929 in Albany married Ellen (Keeva) Esther Keeva Jenson (b1907). Bill and Keeva lived in Albany and Collie, where they raised their family and Bill was a Locomotive Fireman with WAGR. In the 1950s Bill and Keeva moved to Busselton, where Bill was a Hairdresser. Keeva died in 1987 and Bill in 2001.

Virtual
War Memorial
Australia